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…and finally

We are pleased to announce that our new playground has opened. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so full.

5 Comments

  1. Tim says:

    Hi,

    The new playground is fantastic – many thanks to all those who brought this about.

    As a local parent I’d be happy to join a group to help look after the playground, if such a group exists. Do you think that is possible?

    Tim

  2. Chair says:

    Thank you for that. I have to put in an application for a sustainability grant for the next year and I think we’d welcome a team to help look after the playground. I’ve just not had time to get my head round it all yet.

    I’ll keep you posted.

  3. It looks fantastic – we’ll certainly be linking to this on our blogging site.

    Looks like your generating all sorts of positive publicity, which is great news. I hope you can put your sustainability grant to good use and are able to form a strong group around the playground to ensure it is a long-term asset to the area!

  4. Sara says:

    The new playground is an absolute shangrila. Thank you so, so much to those who’ve made it happen. Me and my 19 month old love it so much we’ve even been up there at 7am. “Hilly, Hilly, Hilly” is the first thing he says every morning.

    BUT — the litter is already really dismaying. Plastic bottles ground into the sand. Lolly sticks peppering the grass. Ice cream wrapper bits hither and thither. Plastic cups tucked into the fence. nappies and pooey wipes on the paths. I think there are four big issues that need sorting.
    1) the sheer pressure of user numbers has probably taken the council/bin emptying system by surprise.
    2) the ice-cream van (which must be coining it) is just pumping out packaging/pop cans/lolly wrappers & sticks, causing overflowing bins and stuff strewn ruddy everywhere.
    3) something — foxes? — is clearly having a field day at night resulting in a drift of yuck around the fullest bins (esp the one nearest said ice-cream van).
    4) litter breeds litter — people see bits lying around, and think, ‘oh, what the hell, i’ll tuck my crisp packet under this bush, who cares’.

    I think the issue needs several solutions in parallel, to keep this resource as amazing as it deserves to be:
    1) more collections from Lewisham council, esp at weekends. Plus fox-proof bin modifications, if such things exist. Ideally some recycling bins please.
    2) the folk who run the ice-cream van should ‘give back’ a bit (since this playground is, seriously, going to be the making of them) by going round with a bin liner before they leave each day asking kids & adults to pop their litter in.
    3) some kids in nearby schools (eg Prendergast) could do a project on encouraging folk to love their playground and keep it clean and tidy — eg, designing friendly signage.
    4) mums & dads should a) impress upon their tots the importance of binning their litter and b) shove stray bits in bins when they find them. its yucky chucking someone else’s detritus, but the cleaner a place is, the cleaner it will stay.

    Thanks again.

    Sara

  5. Fiona says:

    Hi
    Thank you so much. The new play area is really really wonderful. So well thought out and a pleasure to be in. It’s a shame that the turf on the slide hill got blasted by the hot weather but I imagine it will soon grow back with a bit of rain. I haven’t noticed the litter. Every time I go (usually in the morning so maybe that is why), it is clean… but if I see any, I will be sure to clear up as per Sara’s suggestions.
    This is a truly wonderful asset to the area and is very much appreciated!

    THanks,

    Fiona

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